Haven's Ridge

Part One: The Farm

There was something about him that drew her to him. The more she thought about it, the more she believed it must have been his eyes. They weren't anything special; a forgettable blue with flecks of brown and green, but the way they lit up when he spoke was magic. He was just so enthusiastic and vibrant when he spoke that the rest of his face came to life to further animate those otherwise forgettable eyes. If she had to guess, she'd say he must have been in his mid-forties. There were some subtle gray streaks in his dirty blonde hair and fine spiderwebs of wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and around his mouth. Barely noticeable, but she was only sitting about two feet from him, and not really focusing on anything else.

"So what do you think?" He bordered on breathless, having been so caught up in what he was saying that he barely remembered to breathe half the time.

She blinked. She had been listening, but then she'd gotten caught up in his appearance... and didn't really catch the last bit. He'd been talking about his Homestead... livestock, having meditation moments, and expanding the property to allow more people to live off the land with him. Trying not to discourage him, she flashed a big smile and took a sip of her rich hot chocolate, stealing some time to compile her answer.
"It sounds beautiful, really. Something I'd definitely love to see."

"Well, what are you doing this afternoon?" Her eyes flashed to the clock on the wall- it was already an hour and a half past noon, "I was just picking up feed, then heading back to feed the girls." His chickens.

Her smile faltered a bit, and she took another long sip of hot chocolate to hide it. She'd only just met the guy, literally two hours ago. Not planned. ... It was just sort of... kismet, she supposed. Gran had always told her that God sent signs when a person needed them most... maybe this guy was her sign?

She had literally just spent her last fiver on this hot chocolate. The beaten up car she'd bought a year and a half ago was down to a quarter tank of gas. Milo fired her two days ago. Colby broke up with her last week and kicked her out this morning - that had been a rather violent affair. Her life was in tatters and she was just trying to take a minute to figure which pieces to stitch back together first.

"If you've got something else to do... it's fine." He said hesitantly. She could hear the disappointment in his voice and see it crinkle in the corner of his eyes.
"Uh... no, no! I'd love to, Stuart, actually! I, uh, let me just finish this in a jiff." Picking up her mug, she launched the last thick dredges of liquid chocolate down her throat. The mug and plate clattered loudly when she attempted to pick them up while composing herself and belongings.

"Here, let me take that." He stepped in. She flashed him a genuine smile in return as she dug through her old purse for car keys. Nothing was ever organized in it, and she could never seem to put the keys in the same damn place. She always told herself 'front zipper pocket', but somehow they never ended up in there.

Stuart came back, a soft but excitable smile on his lips and hands in his pockets. She was still rifling in her purse when his smile turned more questioning, and stood to pat herself down when it reached mild concern. "Is... everything okay?"
"Uh... uhm, yeah. Sorry, I just- can't seem to find my-" An exasperated sigh of relief escaped her when she finally pulled the clunky keychain out from her back pocket. "I never put them there, I have no idea why I did today." She offered an apologetic explanation with a somewhat nervous chuckle.

"Don't worry about it. Actually, the farm's barely five miles outta town, do you wanna just come in my truck? I can drive you back, if you want. I was planning on making some spaghetti for dinner tonight. You can join me, if you like, and I'll bring you back after supper."

"That-" A nagging sensation in her gut told her she should bring her car, but then she remembered the quarter tank of gas and a notable lack of funds to fill it. She'd have to drive around tomorrow. To the library to print some resumes and then off around town to hand them out. "That sounds great. Yeah, thanks, Stuart." She pushed the knot of uncertainty down. She'd always loved having her own sense of independence, and having her own car gave her that sense. She took a deep breath and resolved that she could go without it for a few hours. Besides, Stuart seemed genuinely kind... and it wasn't every day that God sent those sorts of people to you. Tucking her keys into her purse (not in the front zipper pocket), she followed him out the door and down the road a ways.